'Phone of Silence

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'Phone of Silence

I've experimented with noise-cancellation headphones, but they simply don't cancel enough grating, higher-frequency noise. The stereo earphones from Etymotic Research look and operate like earplugs: Insert them and they block 20 or more decibels of outside sound. To top it off, they're among the best-sounding earphones I've heard - accurate musical range with deep bass.

The inserts are not the typical earbuds that come with a personal stereo. You fit the tiny speaker modules with your choice of silicone or foam tips and stick them into the ear canal. People with small ear canals - or crooked ones like mine - find the three-flange silicone tips uncomfortable. The foam ones expand to fit almost any ear.

With my walkman set at a comfy level on the commuter train, the 'phones sounded great, and I never had to raise the volume even when I disembarked and walked past a diesel locomotive emitting a thunderous 100 dB. (Yup, I measured it.) They were even better on the subway, the noise of which is louder and at a higher frequency. Bonus: No sound leaks from these 'phones, since they play deep in the ear canal.

There are drawbacks, however. Having these things in your ears takes some getting used to; the cord literally conducts audible vibrations to your ears like the string in a tin-can telephone, so it's best to use the supplied inline shirt clip to slacken the connections to each ear. And at $330, ER-4S earphones are damn costly by most people's standards. But what other options have you got? There's nothing like starting the workday when the only horns you hear are from the Boston Symphony - not an orchestra of pissed-off cabbies.